handheld versus in car UHF radio

DON'T use magnet base, dust will get under & ruin your paint, you can get cranked mounts that mount under your bonnet, or if you have gutters, you can get gutter mounts. If you go to GME website you can see all mounts there.

An external antenna will always give better performance than one inside the car. Why not get a magnetic mount and put it in the middle of your roof (or anywhere else if that's not an option). I have one and a cigarette lighter power cord in case I want to take my radio in a vehicle other than mine. You could also consider a bonnet mounting bracket and leave enough spare coax to allow it to reach the bull bar when installed. I wouldn't get the hand held unit purely because of the antenna difficulty but only if you want a hand held. Hope this helps!

could I mount the antenna to my roof racks if so where do I run the cable to get it into the car if I mount the antenna under the bonnet how far towards the front of the car do I place it also do I keep it away from the car antenna

Tim don't buy a hand held unless you absolutely have to.
They have a bad habit of falling down around your feet just when you don't want them to, real rough track and your in a tangle.
Our 4wd club does not allow them due to this reason to high risk of accidents.

Buy a good GME and fix it in properly.
Also stops you from leaving it somewhere or the kids losing it on you.
Also most are 5 watts hand held is normally lower.

One point we seem to have missed is .... if you are going to fit an antenna, albiet temporary, for your proposed handheld, why not just install inbuilt radio & connect it to your temporary antenna location?

I know this wont work as marine radio but would I be able to use it in my speed boat as currently I have nothing at all begin a ski boat the hand held would at lest give me some contact to shore does anyone know if you can progam it with the marine freq

Your talking of spending $400 on a handheld + Mounting kit Plus the external antenna, which yes you would need, as it would be the thing to give you the range..

The antenna is what gives you the range, you can have a 10 w unit with a shonk ariel, and get nowhere, or a 2w unit with a better ariel, and get same or better distance.

Thats a lot of money for a hand held unit. at about $5-600 with all the works.

You can get incar with remote head for about that. Buy the incar one, and go remote head, then as others have said, double sided tape it to the top of the dash, or the center console. One bloke in our club has the remote had sitting IN the cetner console, not bolted up.

http://www.prestigecom.net.au/
Best prices, and $8 overnight delivery to your door.

I use magnetic base external aerial in middle of roof to small electrophone tx3200 in different car every day with cigarette lighter attatchment charging on 4 post outlet with 3 mobiles in car charging @ same time every day & have no drama.
Re hurting paint I put some race tape/cloth tape on the magnetic base years ago & still there today, I put 3 pieces race tape on roof, sit base over it then tape over the top of base to save high loads on trucks with wind bothering it.
I jam the uhf & 4outlet charger between passenger seat & console in all sorts vehicles & the ONLY drama I ever get is with the aerial in my briefcase on way home some days after a delivery @ airport security they think I am going to stab somebody on plane with aerial, sometimes it gets through & I have briefcase on plane @ other times @ home end I have to wait for briefcase in luggage hold, but it works fine everywhere & helps me stay awake all night on those trips listening to the truckies laughs etc.

I would buy whatever set up you would have if you had your bullbar and mount the radio as you would anyway as that part is permanent with or without your bar. The antenna I would put on your roof rack. We used to just route the antenna cable under the door rubber on our old work VT commodores with roof rack antennas. They were there for years without an issue.

The roof is probably the best place for reception anyway. I have seen twin antenna setups where the antenna is placed on the bullbar for around town and then screwed to the roofrack mount when going on outback trips.

Wherever it is you put the antenna you will need to completely remove the antenna and cable anyway so as to get the bracket off the cable and then refit the antenna to the bullbar. Some antennas you cannot get at the cable on the mount end easily or at all. I would prefer not to play with the outside end of the cable anyway as the less you touch it the better the connection should be. Due to contaminants or whatever.

Although if you don't mind playing with the antenna end of the cable then I'd put it on the guard with some extra cable.

Utemad

Tim. The radio in question has more than enough range for the trip you are doing.
You will have plenty of power to talk to other road users without dropping out for at least 5 KM. By standing on the car roof we've spoken 12 KM with a 5 W handheld on flat open ground so in an emergency your coverage is acceptable & would probably get you into one of several UHF repeaters on those tracks.
An external antena will always be better & a good spot I use is mounted behind the snorkell air intake. It needs to be a small flexable ground independent type but it's up high & will never get broken off. Cheers Craig..................